On earth as it is in heaven: Giving as spiritual practice

If you’re reading this post, chances are that you’ve prayed “Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.” The Lord’s prayer feels so familiar that we might breeze past its enormity.

What does it mean to pray for God’s Kingdom to come “on earth as it is in Heaven” when discussing stewardship?

In a discussion of Christian practices in her book Christianity after Religion, Diana Butler Bass writes:

“The practice of stewardship creates a generous spirit; it anticipates that, in God’s kingdom, money and possessions will cease to exist and that all is God’s.” (p. 159)

Let’s look at the first part of that sentence—the practice of stewardship— and then at the kingdom aspects.

Practicing

Jesus taught the disciples to pray for daily bread. It’s a repeated prayer, not a once and done activity. Notice how Bass writes about “the practice of stewardship.” We are shaped by our practices. We pray and it brings us closer to God, we needn’t wait until we feel close to God to begin praying.

Similarly with giving, if we practice stewardship first, a generous spirit can follow. We learn and grow in generosity by giving.

I encourage people who are just beginning to practice generosity to choose a cause they care about and an amount they can afford. Give regularly and see what happens! (Credit to Darren Pries-Klassen for this primer on getting started.)

Your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven

In Heaven, there will be neither money nor possessions. Everything and everyone belongs to our generous God, giver of every good thing. We know this to be true but are easily tricked into believing that it’s all our stuff, that we’ve earned it.

Just as the practice of prayer anticipates a time when believers will meet God, the practice of generosity anticipates God’s Kingdom where everyone has enough. If we are praying “on earth as it is in Heaven” then we are praying for God’s generous spirit to move in us. The simple prayer “Lord, help me to be generous” is a focused paraphrase of “Your will be done.”

I’m grateful that Jesus taught believers to pray regularly. Perhaps Jesus knew that we would need constant reminding! We are always learning and growing in our spiritual practices.

“Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.” May it be so.